


Pieces

by Hex_Arcadia



Series: Oh, Baby. [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Jughead Jones is the father, Teen Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, Veronica Lodge is pregnant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:34:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29578254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hex_Arcadia/pseuds/Hex_Arcadia
Summary: Veronica tells her parents who the father of her baby is.
Relationships: Jughead Jones & Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones/Veronica Lodge
Series: Oh, Baby. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2124543
Comments: 11
Kudos: 69





	Pieces

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back! This technically doesn't need to be read to get the rest of the story, but I thought I'd include it. It's a one-shot. I'm not spending a shit ton of time on the Lodges or Veronica not interacting with Jughead. Which reminds me; there's no Jughead in this part, but he's obviously mentioned. I took some creative liberties, and I'm posting at 2:30 am (not beta'd) so hopefully it's enjoyable for those that take the time to read. Until next time, ayo!

“You are a strong, independent woman and you can do this.”

“You are a strong, independent woman and you can do this.”

“You are a strong, independent woman and you can do this damnit.”

Veronica steels her gaze in the mirror of her vintage vanity, willing her shoulders to stop tensing and her lips to soften out of their pursed line. She thinks if her parents don’t look close enough, they might not notice the sweat on her brow or the way her jaw trembles just enough she needs to clench her molars. 

“You can do this, Veronica,” she whispers to herself before dabbing on a bit of her favorite Tom Ford perfume, and pushing away from her seat.

She’s closing in on 14 weeks pregnant, and every day it gets harder for her to conceal the tiny bump under her skirts. She’s more uncomfortable physically, and sleeping on her belly has become all but impossible, but she’s growing more in love regardless of the circumstances. Secretly, Veronica is looking forward to her big belly and little flutters to let her know her babe is awake and active and come Hell or high water, she’s in this now and her bun has come to mean the world to her.

Glancing down at her growing tummy now, firmer, rounder but still not large enough for strangers who’ve never met her to notice, Veronica runs a perfectly manicured hand over it fondly and smiles. There are a lot of things Veronica has come to terms with regarding her status as a young mom, but hormones have started making her loneliness all the more severe and she’s decided to take the next step in accepting her potential future. Hiram has continued to ignore her, something she has previously wished for but now feels hollow and empty, and Hermione has avoided the subject altogether.

Veronica needs someone, anyone, on her side.

She can’t tell Archie because he might think it’s his, firstly, but second, and more important, Veronica and Archie haven’t been more than acquaintances since they broke up. He isn’t her confidante anymore, and honestly, until she accepted her feelings for Jughead she still had some salt in her wounds. That ships sailed, however, and as long as Jughead is happy with Betty she’ll leave him alone.  
Betty. Veronica sighs. She can’t tell Betty for obvious reasons. Briefly, Veronica wonders what she might even say to Betty. ‘Your boyfriend got me pregnant’ doesn’t quite hold the venom in it she needs to stitch together the leftover dredges of heartbreak that comes with being betrayed by one’s best friend. ‘I fucked your boyfriend so good I got a baby from it’ hits a bit harder and leaves her a little more satisfied, but the sad smile on her face betrays her victory in those words. 

She got her revenge, even if it’s still a secret, and now she wishes she still had her friend to confide in. Veronica has never felt more alone, and she can’t keep going this way. She’s made up her mind, and she’s decided to swallow the bit of pride she has left to get the attention she so desperately needs. 

Veronica needs help. She’s 18, pregnant, and absolutely terrified.

She needs her parents, even if it’s temporary.

She needs to be able to talk to someone about what she’s going through. She needs real-time advice, and someone to guide her. As strong as she is, and has always had to be, Veronica needs to be weak. Even if it’s for a moment. She’ll get her shit together again, she will, but for now, she knows what she needs to do. Knows how many times her mom has asked, and her father has scowled at her. She knows there must be a million questions on their minds, with one ringing clearer than the others.

Veronica is going to tell her parents Jughead is the father of her baby.

“You can do this,” she whispers to herself as she marches out of her room, barefoot, and rounds the corner of the Pembrooke to see Hermione sipping a glass of wine and reading the newest edition of the Register.

The older brunette hardly glances in her direction before continuing what she’s doing.

“Mom,” Veronica starts, waiting for Hermione to acknowledge she is listening by a nod of her head. Minimal acknowledgment, but she’s grown used to it over the weeks. “I-I need to tell you and daddy something.”

“I’m not sure what else you can tell us at this point, Mija,” Hermione sips from her wine glass again, hardly missing a beat and still not meeting her daughter’s eyes.

“I assure you, mother, there’s more,” Veronica’s teeth sink into her bottom lip, worrying the unusually naked skin. There’s a set of nerves bundled inside of Veronica that's reserved for some of the more intense moments of her life. She thinks admitting this particular thing out loud to someone qualifies as one of those moments.

Hermione finally gives her daughter her full attention, eyes dragging down her body, resting briefly on the small bump under her cotton dress, before finally settling on the dark irises that are so similar to her own.

“Did someone hurt you?” She asks cat-like glare narrowing, even more, a glimpse of a concerned mother breaking through her hard exterior.

Veronica barks out a laugh, stepping closer.

“The only people hurting me are you and daddy. Do you know what it’s like to be shunned by your own family?”

“Of course, I do,” Hermione notes, and Veronica remembers a story about her mom choosing her father over Fred Andrews because of her parents. A twang of guilt settles, but she swallows it quickly. She won’t be gaslighted. Not today.

“I’m sorry,” Veronica sighs. “I didn’t come out here to fight with you. I, I just need to talk and I haven’t had anyone, mom. I’ve been so alone.”

Her mom softens before her very eyes, the cracks falling away to reveal the kind interior. She lays the Register down and Veronica can already feel the tears building behind her eyes. Hermione opens her arms and Veronica moves into them without so much as a second thought. 

She hasn’t been so much as touched by another human since Jughead had cupped her cheek in that abandoned classroom. The day she almost spilled her heart at his feet and shot him from the sky with the truth of what their love created. God, what she wouldn’t give.

“Oh, Mija, I’m so sorry,” Hermione whispers into her daughter’s hair. “I just, I’ve been angry at myself for not doing better by you and that’s reflecting in how I’ve been treating you.”

Veronica sits back and swipes at her eyes, “I know you’re disappointed in me-“

“Oh, Veronica, I’m not disappointed in you honey. I’m just, I’m scared. Having a baby is so hard.”

“I’m terrified mom, do you think I’m okay? I’ve had no one to talk to.”

“You can talk to me,” Hermione squeezes her hand. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed the absence of your friends during all of this Veronica. Where is Betty? Honey, I’m sure she would be understanding. I, well, your father and I aren’t particularly happy with her after what she did to you…but, Mija if you can forgive her, she can be your ally here.”

‘You can do this, Veronica. You can do this.’

“Um, well actually, I-I can’t tell Betty-”

“People are going to find out, Mija.”

“I know, I, mom I can’t tell her because-because of…because of Jughead.”

Veronica holds her breath as she observes the very real moment in which her mom understands what she is telling her. The moment in which Hermione’s slanted eyes open wide, and she leans forward to set her wine glass down before she stains the cream sofa a deep burgundy.

“Jughead!?” Hermione yelps, “Veronica, tell me you’re not saying what I think you are.”

There’s a moment, just a brief moment but a moment nonetheless when Veronica considers backing out. When she thinks of covering her tracks, making something up to sweep the truth back under the rug, but then she feels it. She feels a tiny quiver in her belly, like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, and it reminds her why she’s doing this. She isn’t ashamed of Jughead, or the life they’ve created.   
She takes a deep breath to settle the initial nerves and places her hand back on her stomach. A movement that doesn’t go unnoticed by her mother.

“If what you think I’m saying is Jughead is the father, then-then yes. That’s what I’m telling you.”

“How?” Hermione mimics the moment she found out about the pregnancy. 

“Well, mother, I didn’t think I would need to give you a lesson in biology but-”

“Veronica!” Hermione interrupts, snatching back her wine glass and tipping back the rest of its contents, grimacing slightly. “If you don’t tell me how it came to be that Jughead Jones and you were in any position to make a child together, so help me.”

“We just,” Veronica sighs, remembering the sadness that led to their coupling. “He was hurt too. Betty, Archie, they were two sides of the same coin, and Jughead and I just, we understood each other. We felt the same sadness, mom, and then we sought out the same comfort.”

There are tears in her mother’s eyes when Veronica meets them again. There’s a very real moment when a mother’s love reflects back on her, and Veronica feels young again. She feels like a little girl that can be saved by the woman in front of her.

Then Hermione’s face falls and she cusses under her breath.

“Your father is going to be furious, Veronica. Jughead Jones, a serpent. A boy from the southside-”

“I know who he is,” Veronica hisses, feeling protective. “I don’t need the lesson in politics.”

“I just meant,” Hermione tries again, “they’ve never been fans of each other. That’s all.”

“I’m not even telling Jughead, so daddy has nothing to be worried about,” she rolls her eyes, suddenly more annoyed than she’s been in some time but not enough to remove her hand from her mother’s.   
Not enough to shy away from any affection she can get, that feels safe.

“Veronica, why wouldn’t you tell him?”

“Oh, I don’t know mom. Remember Betty? My best-my former best friend, of whom we have already mentioned once in this conversation?”

“I hardly think it’s fair to keep such an important thing from Jughead, Mija. Regardless of Betty-”

“He went back to her, mom,” Veronica pushes on, effectively stopping her mom from speaking. “After everything, he went back to Betty. That was his choice, and I won’t take that away from him.”  
“You’re so big on decisions, and yet you won’t even give him the chance to choose his child,” Hermione whispers, and Veronica’s face crumbles.

She feels the guilt leech into her veins; the guilt she’s tried so hard to ignore, and for which she has succeeded so far, for the most part. She feels it shiver through her, and her heartbeat one big THUMP in her chest before she straightens her spine and lifts her chin, posture and muscle memory concealing the withering little girl inside of her. She won’t entertain that darkness, not now. Not when she’s not quite through this first hurdle.

“I don’t need a lecture, mother,” Veronica sniffs, finally pulling her hand free to swipe at a tear that had begun to betray her. “Not when I have bigger monsters to slay. Right now, I just need help. I need help adjusting, and I need help telling, telling daddy.”

Hermione gives her a look that Veronica knows is synonymous with ‘this isn’t over’ before nodding.

“He’s in his study, but I need to grab another glass of Merlot first. Maybe two.”  
___________________________________________________________________

Veronica watches Hiram’s face closely. She knows what his tells are, and so far, she’s seen his throat undulate when he swallowed and the twitch on the right side of his jaw. As long as his fingers don’t flex, she thinks she may come out of this unscathed. 

Then his pointer finger quakes just a fraction of an inch, enough to catch Veronica’s attention.

She expects another glass to shatter against a wall. She expects to feel bits of spittle hit her face as he snarls at her, throwing expletives in her direction until he runs out of words. Veronica’s been privy to her father’s anger, she knows he’s dangerous, and she knows what he’s capable of. That’s why when he calmly leans back in his chair, drawing a pull of rum from his tumbler, her brows drawdown over her eyes in question.

“And when do I get to have a chat with Mr. Jones?” He says voice flat and void of most emotion.

Veronica looks at her mother for a safety line but is left in the choppy waters when she simply sips from her wine glass and keeps her stare focused on her husband.

“Um,” Veronica starts, turning back to her father. “You-you don’t.”

“That’s unacceptable Mija. Given the circumstances, I think it only a matter of respect I have a talk with,” Hiram’s lip twitches, and his nose crinkles with just enough disgust to make his unspoken words obvious between all the lines, “Jughead. Father to father, don’t you think? He should know exactly what family his child is being born into.”

“I’m going to ignore the superiority complex you’re clearly wrestling with,” Hiram scoffs, but Veronica pushes on. She’s come this far, no backing down now. “I’m not telling Jughead he’s the father.”

“Ah,” he doesn’t miss a beat, “come to your senses about trying to raise a baby with low life serpent scum-”

“Hiram,” it’s Hermione finally breaking her silence. “that’s enough.”

“I hardly think so,” he fires back, his voice grown more tense. “We can only hope your pristine bloodline will be enough to wash out any bacteria passed on from those vile genetics.”

“Daddy-”

“No,” Hiram holds his hand up. “You listen to me, Veronica. I appreciate you coming clean to me, and now I understand why it’s taken you so long to tell me. That being said, there are…ways…we deal with these sorts of things. There are, sort of, expectations when you live the lives we do.”

Veronica bristles. She knows what he’s saying. She knows what it means to be the daughter of a mafia boss, and how he’s using it against her as leverage. Hiram’s looked for ways to get back under her skin and now he’s succeeding.

Veronica immediately regrets every decision that’s led up to this moment.

Then she feels it again, the flutter in her stomach. ‘Almost every decision.’

“I’m not going to listen to you, daddy. I’m not going to raise my baby the way I was raised. We’re out, and I’m asking you not to tell him. Don’t tell Jughead, don’t tell anyone. I came to you because I’m alone, and I’m scared, and I needed you and mom. I needed my parents, I need my parents because I’m about to become a parent too and I don’t know how.”

She’s crying, and damnit she’s angry because she's crying, and the hormones won't let her stop. He gets to see her this way, weak and fragile. It’s a fracture he can get inside to break her from within. 

Veronica doesn’t know what she expected, but this isn’t it.

“Drop the mob boss bullshit and be a father, Hiram. Just once,” Hermione’s jabs at him, and Veronica realizes her mom is standing next to her with a hand rubbing soothing circles on her shoulder blade. 

“Your daughter is counting on you, and so am I. Don’t let us down.”

Hiram eyes his wife, his daughter, then the barely visible baby bump beneath Veronica’s clothing.

“I think,” Hiram says, moving out of his seat and rounding his large desk. Veronica eyes her father, moving to crouch in front of her. “At least, for now, we can put all of this behind us. Look at me Mija. I know you’re scared, and you know I’m not happy. But-but I can, I will put that aside.”

It’s like a weight has flown from her shoulders, and she collapses against Hiram as his arms wrap around her. Hermione is standing behind her, and she knows this moment is fragile. She knows one wrong move will send them all crashing to the ground; chess pieces scattered across the broken game board of their lives. It won’t last forever, she knows this. She won’t let it because she is too fiercely protective over her own independence, but right now she’ll let them comfort her. She’ll let them hold her. This is what she came clean for. This is what Veronica needed, if only for a moment.

Then Hiram brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, “but don’t think we’re done talking about Jughead Jones.”

The first piece falls to the ground.

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? Hate it? Should I keep going? Lemme know :)


End file.
